Rejected Beauty Practices the Villain Play
Chapter 156 Kiss

Chapter 156: Chapter 156 Kiss

"Real or fake, what does it have to do with you?" Fengyu said calmly. "There are countless women who admire the young Marquis, like fish in the river. You’re carefree and unfettered, never minding others’ admiration. What’s the point of probing beneath the surface?"

"I don’t care about others, but I care about you." Xie Xun noticed that Fengyu’s hand was gradually relaxing, her palm starting to unconsciously brush against his skin—provocative, yet oblivious to herself.

His blood surged, rushing hotly through his veins. It was clearly a torment, yet felt like the height of pleasure.

Sweat beaded upon his forehead.

Fengyu found it both laughable and pitiful. In fact, when Xie Xun rode alone to rescue her, racing hundreds of miles, she had felt doubts in her heart. When he shielded her from blades and arrows by the riverside, it left her even more bewildered.

Love and hate, like wealth and poverty, were impossible to conceal. They had once been nakedly displayed before her. The boy’s fervent and unabashed feelings had been almost wholly offered up to her without reservation.

Even if she were slow-witted, she could still sense his affection.

She thought to herself, the young Marquis was as radiant as the moon after rain. She, on the other hand, was selfish and hypocritical. Perhaps his momentary infatuation stemmed from mere lust. Moreover, the Soul Suppressing Pearl bound them, their exchanges entangling love and hate, inevitably fostering unusual emotions.

Their mutual probing and desperate efforts to hide the budding affection were a game Fengyu indulged in, savoring this rare emotion while clearly foreseeing their future.

She sank willingly, yet resisted desperately.

The young Marquis was supposed to be like this—the ambiguous explorations between them nothing more than illusions born from excessive springtime ambiance. No one would break through this window of fragile mutual understanding. After a couple of years, the ripples stirred would settle back into calm waters. He and she should remain as strangers.

Never in her wildest thoughts did she expect Xie Xun to voice it aloud.

His love and hate were so fierce and transparent. She wanted to bury them, but he left her no retreat, cornering her in this desolate wilderness. Fengyu’s reddened eyes mirrored his.

"To like—so what?"

"To not like—so what?"

"Why do you care?" Fengyu asked softly, her voice tinged with melancholy.

Xie Xun’s gaze landed on her cherry-pink lips. His Adam’s apple moved slightly. Suddenly, he leaned forward and sealed her words with a kiss—an action giving Fengyu her answer.

The kiss, hesitant and young, was like a feather brushing the heart’s edge—ticklish yet stirring. Fengyu tilted her head slightly, and the two separated as soon as they touched. Xie Xun’s breath lingered by her ear.

His heart clenched faintly. He knew Fengyu would evade him. It was expected, yet still painful.

"Does the young Marquis plan to marry into my family?" Fengyu steadied her emotions, hiding her feelings under dense clouds, smiling seductively like the women of Mudan Building yet cruelly indifferent.

Xie Xun stared at her and suddenly laughed. "Sure. You seek a husband, I’ll marry in. Third Miss, when will you come to Marquis Mansion to propose dowry?"

Fengyu: "..."

"Aren’t you afraid the Marquis will break your legs?"

"For Third Miss, breaking my legs again—what’s the harm?" Xie Xun’s words remained ambiguous. "As long as you’re willing, I’ll brave mountains of knives and seas of fire."

Fengyu shut her eyes in anguish, burying herself deeply into the shell of her defenses.

Xie Xun’s all-or-nothing confession of love crumbled her fortifications with every step, leaving only endless sorrow. "My elder sister is your sister-in-law."

"You seek a husband; I marry in. This is entirely separate," the young Marquis countered with ease.

"I’m engaged already, my reputation is in tatters."

"I’m infamous myself. Quite a match, isn’t it?"

"I’m selfish, hypocritical, and only love myself."

"Man is selfish by nature. So am I."

Fengyu opened her eyes, tears reddening their corners. "Xie Xun, I won’t live past eighteen."

Xie Xun’s fingertip brushed her reddened corner, and just when Fengyu thought he might retreat, he said, "Let’s set a three-year promise. If you’re still alive, then marry me. What do you say?"

Fengyu thought it was anything but good!!!

Was he out of his mind? Why break through this?

But Xie Xun looked at her, without the slightest trace of jest. His gaze, dangerous and oppressive, held a hint of desire. "Fengyu, if you don’t say anything, I’ll take it as agreement. Let me claim an advance from the promise—just a little, not too much, all right?"

Fengyu was still drowning in hopelessness over Xie Xun’s apparent madness when he pressed his hand against her waist, gripping her nape and pulling her forward, pinning her fully against the peach tree.

Amidst the cascade of falling blossoms, he kissed her lips.

This time, the kiss was no mere fleeting touch. Xie Xun kissed her fervently yet awkwardly, devoid of technique, driven entirely by raw instinct—biting her lower lip and sweeping past her cries of pain, advancing ardently and conquering her senses.

This was something he had longed to do.

By the riverside on their return to the Capital City, when Fengyu cried out in pain and called his name, in that exhausted yet radiant morning, he had already wanted so desperately to kiss her. He had even dreamt of it—dreams he couldn’t bear to speak of.

Dreams painted entirely with her face, where she was obedient and tender. She called his name, nestling close to him, blending seamlessly into his embrace.

Fengyu’s hands pressed against his chest, nervously trying to push him away, but the force gradually weakened under the kiss. The unfamiliar wave of emotions and irrepressible reactions left her blushing deeply, overwhelmed with panic.

If not for Xie Xun’s arm encircling her waist, she feared she might collapse onto the ground.

His breath tangled with the scent of peach blossoms, etching an indelible memory into Fengyu’s heart in the blooming spring of March.

Xie Xun smirked wickedly, his lips bruised from a retaliatory bite. Fengyu ran a short distance and turned back to glare at him, her charm both alluring and angry. Radiant with vitality, Fengyu’s expression stirred something deep within Xie Xun.

He laughed and chased after her, relishing the taste of the kiss.

In dreams, their intimacy had been wild and unrestrained, their souls consumed. Reality, however, now surpassed even dreamlike chaos in enchanting madness.

So, this is what it meant to lose oneself in a gentle haven, unable to find one’s way back.

Xie Xun whistled with his fingers. Zhuifeng trotted over. He caught up and clasped Fengyu’s slender waist, lifting her onto Zhuifeng amidst her startled cry. Yet Xie Xun did not mount the horse; instead, he led it leisurely on foot in the direction of the Capital City.

"Xie Xun, could it be that the Soul Suppressing Pearl has influenced you, so you’ve misunderstood the situation?" Fengyu had never imagined things would spiral into an irreparable mess.

Xie Xun said, "I’m not a child of three. How could I misunderstand something of this sort?"

Fengyu, slightly resigned yet with a hint of curiosity, asked, "Then what do you like about me? Half a year ago, you wanted me dead."

Xie Xun raised an eyebrow, looking back at the flushed face of the Third Miss. "Do you want to settle old scores?"

"I’m curious." Fengyu’s expression was impassive, almost petulant.

What did he like about Fengyu? Xie Xun could easily list them off, one by one. "You’re stunningly beautiful. I couldn’t escape that, just like any other man."

"You’re lying. When we first met, I was already stunningly beautiful, yet you loathed me and wanted me dead."

Xie Xun chuckled. The Third Miss, spiteful and vengeful, was both petty and endearing. "You’re clever—far more clever and courageous than any woman I’ve met."

"But I’m selfish and hypocritical." Fengyu seemed intent on picking a fight, as though deliberately giving him a hard time. "If you like me, can you not see my flaws?"

"Nobody’s perfect." The young Marquis voiced it plainly. "Your wit and bravery outweigh your flaws."

Fengyu scoffed coldly, saying, "So because I’m beautiful, clever, and courageous, you like me?"

Xie Xun ignored her sarcastic tone. "During the snowstorm, I discovered that the Third Miss has a compassionate side. It made me realize I had misjudged you. The more time I spent with you, the clearer it became—I had been blind all along."